(edit title) Editor Bob, why have you edited my topic title? I'm none too pleased about this Options

[Squiddy]

Squiddy, as I wrote a few posts up:

Shame. I have just started out as a freelance proofreader (of English) and was looking for a bit of extra work. Think about it Bob. You could realise your utopian dream of a website for English speakers, in perfect English. Imagine the power. Imagine how happy the advertisers would be.

Think on. Mate's rate's and all...

[Plowbridge]

"Dystopian regime"? I think you're over-reacting there, Plowbridge.Benevolent dictatorship is what it is.Contrast and compare the titles in the archives with the ... (show full quote)

"Dystopian regime"? I think you're over-reacting there, Plowbridge.

Benevolent dictatorship is what it is.

Contrast and compare the titles in the archives with the current set. Here are a few examples:

• Plz Help Me Out !!!
• Interesting...
• what should i do
• Wooo!
• hey
• waaaaaaaaaaah

Now, which would you prefer? To continue like that, or to work on improving things?

Moderated titles may not be perfect. And mistakes will occasionally be made. But I can assure you that every edit is done with best intentions and according to a tried and tested set of principles.

For reference, see the equivalent discussion over on The Local's sister forum in Germany:

• I really like my own topic titles ...and I object to moderation

... (hide full quote)

I appreciate your response. The sooner you can be transparent and state TL guidelines the better.

[Roger O. Thornhill]

Well I am all for the correction of spelling and grammar.

My Swedish stinks, so I can be forgiving of someone for whom English is not their first language. It is those that are from English speaking countries that vex me.

Some posts are simply grammatical abortions. If someone has a point to make, then it is my druthers to read it. But if that post is so poorly written I chose to skip it, then the writer and I have both lost. If the writer is so consistently bad they end up on the ignore list, then nobody will ever benefit.

So edit away Bob, just do it consistently

[VikingHumpingWitch]

Yes Bob, hurry up with the guidelines, even Nazi Germany had clearly stated rules. This actually makes you, currently, WORSE than Nazi Germany.

[crazy_leo]

Totally agree with Silver Fox's post. Lets just say that the whole thing is getting a bit overboard.

[Editor Bob]

Regarding the calls for transparency, here's the page relating to title moderation:

• Topic title moderation history

There might be a few bugs still on that page. Some titles are being displayed as "unchanged" when they have, in fact, been moderated. That will be fixed in time. We're not trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes here. I wasn't going to release that page until it was fully working properly, but I hurried it along in response to the above calls for transparency.

There's further good stuff like this in the works, bear with us.

[Bee]

Editor Bob I feel a bit bad...check out the strawberry picking thread...

[Squiddy]

Regarding the calls for transparency, here's the page relating to title moderation:Topic title moderation historyThere might be a few bugs still on that page. Some titles ... (show full quote)

Regarding the calls for transparency, here's the page relating to title moderation:

• Topic title moderation history

There might be a few bugs still on that page. Some titles are being displayed as "unchanged" when they have, in fact, been moderated. That will be fixed in time. We're not trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes here. I wasn't going to release that page until it was fully working properly, but I hurried it along in response to the above calls for transparency.

There's further good stuff like this in the works, bear with us. ... (hide full quote)

Ho ho ho. Looking down the list I see you have edited one of your own titles there Bob. Suffering from dissociative identity disorder?

Seriously though, some of the changes are a bit pointless - I mean changing 'Pix' to 'Pictures', why bother?

[VikingHumpingWitch]

Because people like me come out in a rash when ppl use pix 2 mean pictures.

Yes yes, I'm going now.

[Squiddy]

Hey grandma, get with the new lingo, man. Us young folks (who am I trying to kid) don't got no need for grammar. Soon all vowels will be abolished anyway and it'll just be 'px'.

I'm so street.

[Julian S]

Having had one of my Topic Title's amended, in my case the amended topic did sound more organised, concise and probably conveyed the content of my initial post more succinctly, I can understand the sense of loosing control over ones creation.

I know it sounds silly, but I felt it had been "de-Julian S'd" and now felt 'corporate', de-personalised and therefore not my post.

I know you'll all be concerned, but i assure you I'm already over the emotional trauma it initially caused :-)

Editor Bob, playing devils advocate somewhat...

when you refer to correct spelling and grammar, can you confirm, is the standard going to be English (UK), English (US) or English (something else) ?

Also what level of qualification will Moderators be trained to, to enable them to correct grammar etc to the standard form of English in place?

Being Dyslexic, I think I'll keep the Modorators quite busy, so I thank you all in advance for your efforts :-)

[Princess P]

Interesting. I took a look at the moderated titles. I noticed that 'UAE Royal Sheikh Torture Tape' was moderated to 'UAE Royal Sheikh torture tape'. The only change being the decapitalisation of Torture and Tape. As an ex-school teacher I say that the original thread title was in fact correct. It is a title and therefore should all be capitalised. So by moderating it you made it wrong.

Remind me again what standard of English we are working towards.

[High Priestess Kang - Slu...]

It's quite apparent that Editor Bob graduated from Prince Knight's School of Advanced Diction and Rhetoric, then.

For what it's worth, unless the thread title is profane or utterly stupid, I think modification for the sake of modification is overkill (bordering on micromanagement). The improvements to the forum, for the most part, have been quite nifty. I think there is a huge difference between thought police and :gasps: censorship and random editing, though. Arbitrary editing of titles isn't going to necessarily add value to the forum. It will, however, irritate the bejeebus out of the author (who may eventually take his/her commentary elsewhere).

[Mzungu]

Remind me again what standard of English we are working towards.

Hope it ain't tooo high,am no college or university graduate. A few of us are cleverer with our hands than with words. Amen.

*just a thought*

[Bee]

"Charges unlikely for admitted panty pic snapper " what does "pic" mean Editor Bob?? I am unsure...